making reference to the israelites' idol of a calf made of gold, elder stephen said last night in a very emotional meeting of about 35 young people that it was time to kill the golden calf - meaning that the 6pm service at the soul cafe will no longer exist - until further notice. it seemed evident from his words that he had wanted to do this for at least several months if not longer. he said that because of the strife between the two services, which appeared to be mostly his, that this was the correct thing to do. all along, we were being encouraged by another elder to continue pressing onward. i guess i am the greatest of all fools to have believed that we had the support of the eldership.
one thing of note - this whole thing happened in record setting time - which should go down in some baptist world record book. in a nut shell (love that phrase) we had a meeting on wednesday, the elders had a meeting on thursday and by friday the calls were going out that it was over. all of this done pretty much on very little information or at least information from very limited sources. once again i am the greatest fool of all to think that such a major decision would hinge on such little discussion.
one understanding that i have experienced over and over in my days of church life is that we shoot our wounded. so many times i hear a preacher talk about how we are to be a hospital where people come to be healed - emotionally, spiritually, etc. that's all well and good, but what about the people that the church puts IN the hospital. it seems that for the most part the churches are just trading their wounded. this guy gets hurt and goes over to that church, and that guy gets hurt and comes over to this church. many times there is not any real healing if you look at the ones that you injure in the process. to hear a teenager in tears begging for the elders not to cancel his worship service, and having absolutely no idea what in the world the strife referrence is regarding, and having an elder say "sorry, that's the way it's going to be" is just amazing. last night the leadership put more folks in the hospital then they took out. i would never have believed it if i hadn't heard it myself. once again, i am the fool.
to those that find a home in another clay street service, please know that i am happy for you, really. my prayer is that the father places you in ministry that is both rewarding to you and allows you to grow deeper in relationship with him and those around you. to those that have been to the other services and don't belong, know that i understand (i attended one service for almost a year as the sound tech and even played guitar some, and still never felt at home - i did enjoy it at times, like i do other churches, but it still wasn't home). my prayer is that the father guides each of us to where he wants us. if it is simply to take a break and return to clay street, then i ask that he refine and change us to make the return joyful. if it is to pursue ministry in other areas then i pray that he direct us quickly so we can begin our healing process with another family. know that i love you and have enjoyed the journey so far, i'll keep you posted on the father's plans for me.
don't loose faith.
